


The World May Be Over But We Aren't

by GaHoolianGirl



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Gen, M/M, More characters as I go, Multi, Not Beta Read, Not really romantic, if i go anywhere, just enough to notice, this is the longest thing i have ever written holy fuck shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:24:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3821950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaHoolianGirl/pseuds/GaHoolianGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world as we know it is gone.</p><p>But for Sousuke, Rin and Gou, life goes on, even if barely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning (long after the end)

**Author's Note:**

> This came out long oh god. I am rather proud of this, even if I don't need another multi-chapter fics. Future chapters wont be this long.

[Based off this](http://nociw.tumblr.com/post/117374531995/post-apocalyptic-au-free-69min)

* * *

 

 _A swimmer_ , Rin thought, staring at the small puddle of murky water at his feet, _A professional swimmer is what I would have been._

“Yo, Rin, are you gonna collect that water or stare at it?” Sousuke yelled from his lookout point a few feet away, eyebrows raised. Rin nodded sharply, shaking away his fanciful thoughts. He needed to be more pragmatic, as Sousuke loved to remind him. Romantic dreams were for babies and the dying. Doing nice things were fine, but dreams only got you killed. He scooped up what he could from the puddle, which was mostly mud.

“This should get us to base,” he called back, carefully stepping over debris to his large companion. How Sousuke retained such size with such little food always amazed Rin, especially since he always gave what little food he had to Rin, Gou, or whatever slowly dying kid they came across.

Sousuke nodded, loosening his grip on his gun long enough to attach the canteen to his belt. He secured the double straps. Rin called it a waste of material, but Sousuke called it an assurance. With the way the air was in most places, people were desperate for usable water. For all Rin’s protest, the extra security had kept a thief or two from stealing their precious supply.

Rin didn’t really remember what the world was like before all this. Before the wars, the bombs, the fights among the people. He can remember when he and Sousuke were children, playing in each other’s backyard. They swam together too, racing butterfly, freestyle, oe whatever style they wanted. The adults had always told them that they could go pro one day.

That is, until the first bomb dropped.

No country, or what was left of them, ever owned up to who began the conflict. While the politicians were busy deciding causes and alliances, the people, including the Yamazakis and Matsuokas, were busy adjusting to surviving their hellish world.

The official fighting ended when most countries were dead, and an unofficial martial law was instated. Kill or be killed. Protect yourself and the people important to you, and you’ll all maybe live to 30. It didn’t take long for their parents to die. A couple of aging businessmen and housewives? With what he knew now, Rin was surprised they survived at all. When they were 12, Sousuke and him set off with Gou on their own.

Gou was in charge of their supply and communication. She could also tell if someone was could help from a glance ( _“Onii-chaan, look at his trustworthy muscles!”_ Unorthodox but effective). Rin was always concerned for her safety, even though she could throw a knife or shoot a gun as well as anyone in their world.

Thinking of Gou, the old walkie-talkie on Rin’s belt crackled to life. _“Onii-chan? Sousuke-kun? Any success?”_

Rin unclipped the device, “Yeah. Some water, a few tough plants, and this corpse had some stuff that should be worth some shit.”

“ _Roger. Come on back you two. I managed to get some pretty decent food off these people moving through.”_

“Sweet. we’ll be back by dark.”

_“You better. You know who comes out after dark.”_

“Yeah. See ya.”

He put the device back on his belt, adjusting his face mask, and then put a hand on his gun, looking back to Sousuke. “Come on.”

“Yeah.”

As they walked, Rin scanned the landscape. They were currently in what is the remnants of Tokyo, buildings nearly in two, telephone wires fallen and strewn across the landscape. The air was almost always dusty, the dirt and ash being caught up by the constant wind. It was his and Sousuke’s rule to always have a cape on so they knew the direction of the wind in case of a sandstorm.

Him and Sousuke fell into step with one another, the walk back to base familiar, but by no means comfortable. Survival was a game in which no one played fair. Their fingers sat on their triggers, ready shoot any movement.

"Rin, what would you have done if this didn't happen?"

Rin looked to his companion in confusion broad questions and "what if"s weren't usually something Sousuke dwelled on.

"I think I would be a swimmer," Rin said after a moment of silence, eyes trained forward, occasionally glancing at the one next to him.

"Me too. Maybe we could have swam together. Raced."

"I would have beat you."

"Now that's dreaming."

Rin laughed, giving Sousuke's calf a nudge with his foot. He always knew how to make Rin smile, and Rin was always grateful for that. When the world is hell, having a good friend is just as good as food, in his romantic opinion. He didn't know what he'd do without him.

"Rin, I-" Sousuke began, but stopped, and reached for Rin's collar, yanking him on to ground.

"Sousuke, what the hell-!" Rin yelled, but he clamped a hand over his mouth as he heard the familiar sound of bullets whir over their head. They had been spotted, "It's not even fucking dark yet!" he hissed under his breath. They crawled on their stomachs to a set of boulders (which used to be part of a skyscraper) which created a small little crevice to hide in.

After the sun went down was not a safe time for any group trying to scavenge. There was a group called the "Dusk Rats" (Rin laughed at their name, until he saw they brutally dismember a small child looking for water), who tried to kill anyone they came across and steal their supplies. Their group was loosely organized, their only rule being don't kill each other...in front of anyone else.

He and Sousuke had run onto them before, escaping grazed, exhausted, and with little of what they picked up. "They're getting desperate," Sousuke whispered to him, and Rin nodded. When a few bullets came dangerously close, he shot up from his cover and shot a few times in a different direction, diverting their fire.

"How are we going to get back?" he mouthed to Sousuke, who held up a finger, indicating to wait, before pointing to a shivering young man at the front of their ranks. He had grey hair, a mole, and blue eyes that were stained red and puffy with constant tears. His gun was shaking, as was the rest of him.

They both knew that saving him was dangerous and stupid, but they also knew that they wouldn't get a wink of sleep of they didn't, and a day without sleep had them good as dead anyway. He nodded at him. "How?"

"I don't know."

"We're fucking idiots."

"Yeah, we are."

Sousuke balanced his gun on his knee as he tried to formulate an impromptu plan. He ran his hands over his belt. "We have a few of those grenades we looted from that dead soldier. I throw it, distracting them. You go get him, while I fire at them to divert their attention."

"Why do I have to go get him?"

"Because you run faster, and you want to be the big damn hero."

"I thought romantic thoughts were for babies and dying people?"

"Well, you are a babe."

Rin was going to retort, but their banter was cut short by another wave of bullets. "They're close. Now or never, Rin. We only have three."

Rin nodded. Sousuke slowly and deliberately reached for the grenade in one of his various packs. When he grabbed it, he pulled the pin equally slowly, leaning up so just his eyes were above one of the boulders that surrounded them, and with a good deal of force, tossed it the direction where there were a lot of Dusk Rats collected. The smoke and dust kicked up created a thick cloud, giving Rin time to sprint as fast as he could to the boy.

"Hey, you!" he hissed, and the boy jumped.

"D-Don't shoot me! Please! I-I didn't have a choice and-"

Rin shoved his hand over his mouth. "Calm down! Come with us! This guys are no good." With a surprising lack of resistance, the boy nodded furiously, taking his hand like a frightened child. Rin nodded and ran as fast as he could, even when his legs were telling him that he did not have enough energy for this.

They got back to Sousuke, who was still shooting at the Dusk Rats. He shoved the boy into their hiding spot. "Hey," Sousuke said nonchalantly as he sent another flurry of bullets into the fray. "What's your name?" Rin asked.

"Nitori A-Aiichiro."

"Ai. Okay, look. We don't have a plan to escape."

"Y-You don't!?"

"But trust me, you'll be fine with us," Rin flashed a grin at him, which seemed to calm him, "Sousuke?"

"Hhm?"

"I think we may have to crawl out of here."

"Yeah."

Ai spoke up now, still hesitant. "I-I'm good at finding ways out."

Rin smiled, and ruffled his hair. "Good, then. lead the way."

Ai started to maneuver among the rubble, with Sousuke and Rin not far behind him, who were amazed at how confidently the nervous boy avoided the gunfire and confusion. Maybe saving him had more benefits than satisfying their consciences. In a surprising amount of time, they were away from the danger.

"Damn, Ai. That was impressive." He blustered under the praise, a sharp contrast to the ability they previously saw. The walk back was high strung and careful, with everyone afraid to speak. If they were so bold as the start fights so early, then others were too. Sousuke and Rin held their guns to their breasts like infants, and Ai stood nervously between them looking like...well, a child.

They finally reached their base. There was a central tent where they slept, with three mattresses made of sown together rag and filled with anything soft they found-moss, old matress stuffing, clothes that didn’t fit anymore. There was a fire pit where they cooked when available, which has moss and dirt cover to hide when danger came by, or smoke signals were needed if they had trouble with the walkie-talkies. Some other equipment was strewn about, as well as hiding places for their weaponry and food.

They made whatever they needed, like clothes and housing, but occasionally they would supplement by trading. The world still went on, in it’s own way. Groups of one to three traveled across areas that were known to have people, bring things they kept from the old world or collected. You had things they wanted, you got something. It had cost them some bullets and food for the talkies, but they were worth it.

When they saw her, Gou had quite a few words for them, including "You two are such idiots!" "Another mouth to feed!" and "I should just let you two starve!"

Despite her anger, she still set up a dinner for them. They ate quietly, but peacefully, and Rin momentarily let himself dream, against his better judgement. They were a normal family, together. Eating dinner like the old days, school tomorrow, swim meets...his blissful pretending was interrupted by a comment made by Sousuke.

"We have to leave soon."

He would have spit out his food if it wasn't so valuable. He struggled to swallow it. "W-What!? Leave?"

"Think about it, Rin. If they're acting up, isn't something odd? They're desperate for supplies, that's why they ambushed us, and we have barely anything."

"Yes," Ai said in a small voice,"I h-heard them talking about it. They said that there wasn't a lot of water around here anymore..."

"We can't sustain three," Sousuke gave Ai a look, "four people here Rin."

"I guess you're right. Do we have enough to make a big shift?"

"We have to check the supplies, but it has to be enough. We've made due with nothing."

Rin and Gou nodded. To change the mood, Gou turned to Ai. "How did you end up there, Ai-kun?

"Ah..." he clearly hadn't been expected to have been addressed, "it's not important..."

"Tell us, man. I think you'll be with us for awhile."

"V-Very well. Me and my parents...we lived in a small encampment on the other side of the city. My father was in the army, so we survived for a while...it was hard, but I loved it. Being with them, and the others..." tears formed in his eyes, "But...one day parents went looking for supplies, and they...didn't come back. Everytime we sent a group out, they didn't come back. Soon it was only me and some of the kids left. I didn't have a choice, so I went into the city. Then those...people, they attacked me. They didn't kill me because I avoided them so well. They made me fight with them. They killed everyone I've ever known!"

He didn't hold back his tears any longer, and broke out into pitiful sobs. Rin pat his head gently, while Sousuke looked on, unable to offer any comforting words, but looked on sympathetically. When Ai finally stopped crying, he looked up at them gratefully.

"I-I-m sorry..."

"It's okay. Kids need to cry sometimes."

"Uhm...I'm 16..."

Rin's cheeks turned red. "Ah, sorry..."

Sousuke and Gou covered a laugh, and he glared at them. "You both keep quiet!" Ai smiled at their antics, thinking that he may have a place after all.

* * *

 

Later that night, after Ai and Gou had went to sleep, Sousuke and Rin kept watch.

"You should sleep, Rin."

"Nah. Gou can take the next watch."

"I thought you didn't like her doing that."

"She's growing up, Sousuke. That scares me as much as any of this, but she has to be able to survive...without us."

Sousuke nudged his shoulder with his own. "Hey, hey. Don't make that face. We'll stay alive for her, for each other. Remember? We promised to be her parents, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," Rin smiled, thinking back to happy times again, "Well, we better take good care of her, Sousuke-Mama. Especially with another baby now."

"Yeah, Rin-Papa. We're a nice little family. Who'll live for see another sun rise. And again. If we die, it's gonna be of old age."

"Aren't dreams for kids? Getting soft, Mama."

"Shut up."

"It's a promise."

They bumped fists, and Rin snuggled into Sousuke's side, and despite what he said, fell into a shallow, dreamless sleep.•


	2. All that glitters isn't gold (or everything that smells like shit is shit)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get everyone to move somewhere is hard even when the world isn't over.
> 
> And it's even harder if you don't know where somewhere is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is weak, but I've had this half finished chapter in my Google Docs for weeks, and I needed to do something with it.
> 
> Also I know I have requests to fill, but read the above.

_The water encased his entire body, making him feel complete as he pushed through it, desperately trying to go faster, faster. His jammer clung tight to him skin, and his goggle felt oddly light on his face. “Onii-chan!” he heard Gou yell from the spectators. “Rin-senpai!” another voice yelled._

_“Go Rin!” the voice most familiar of all yelled. **Sousuke**. “Rin!” he yelled again, encouraging Rin to push his limits, racing forward. “Riinnn!”_

_“Yo, Rin!”_

Rin blinked his sleep away, alert almost immediately. “Huh?”

“We’re eating, and then we have to pack up.” Sousuke offered his hand to his slightly smaller companion, which was taken without thought. “Right.”

Sousuke led Rin to where their companions were seated. Ai sat very formally, knees tucked under his, hands balled into fists on his thigh. Gou just looked at him pitifully as she served him.

“What do we have today?” Rin said with a smile, sitting besides the smaller boy. He was joined by Sousuke, impassive as ever. “We have some wild dog and...whatever you guys picked up yesterday. These green are tough, but I tried them and didn't die.”

“That is an important criteria for food,” Sousuke said with hidden mirth as he bit into the meat. Wild dog was a staple on their menu, because dogs were either too weak to fight back, or had had better hunting success then them and were plump. They always made sure never to kill mothers and pups, becuase then they would be without their meat. Rin remembers how he used to love dogs; now his stomach does. You grow a taste for anything edible in tough times.

Sousuke, Rin, and Gou all ate their small portions with gusto, which Ai gave his small nibbles. “What’s wrong?” Rin said in return. He felt an immediate draw to Ai...a need to parent him.

“It’s just...I haven’t eaten much in so long...I may not be able to stomach it.”

Rin “tsked”. If they made him full plates, he would have to eat it. Wasting like that was not something they could afford.

“How about you eat a little more each day?” Gou suggested, “You have to eat. So just a bit more each day, alright?”

“Yes...” he closed his eyes and took another bite, seemingly more hungry. He clearly didn’t want to be a bother. You had to make sacrifices, but you also have to get what you need.

After they finished eating, and gathered any scraps (in case anyone as hungry later), they set off to take apart their encampment.

Rin figured that he would miss their little home-base. It was makeshift and shabby, but Rin got attached to places easily, especilly since there were so few places left.

Rin made his way to the tent with Sousuke, and they slowly and carefully started to empty it and take it apart- anything ruined as gone for good. When they cleaned it out, they wrapped up it’s contents it itself, making it easier to carry. When they finished up, Gou and Ai had most finished their tasks. The clean up took them most of the morning, and the sun was lowered into it’s midday position,the temperature comfortable.

They discarded anything unnecessary, and Sousuke made last minute checks.

“Nitori, food and water?”

“Yes!”

“Gou, communication and ammunition?”

“Right here!”

“Rin, your gun and our tools?”

“Yup.”

“And I’ve got my share. Good.”

Rin snickered. “Leave everything to Mamasuke.”

Sousuke raised his eyebrow, a small smile playing on his face, “‘Oh that again? Well. Should I punish you then?”

While they had their exchange, Gou leaned over to Ai,”It’s like watching your parents kiss.”

Ai looked at her nervously, “Uhm...Gou-san? A-Are they?”

“Are they what?”

“U-Uhm, this morning, when I woke up they...were cuddling together, and I...well...”’

She laughed, putting her hand on his shoulder, “Like I said, parents kissing. They’ve always been too busy surviving to notice, but one day, they'll be happy together.”

He gave her a nervous smile, liking the idea of having parents once again.

“What are you two doing?” Rin asked, now done with flirting.

“Just making fun of you, Onii-chan. Lets go!”

Rin spluttered and Sousuke laughed as they set off into the perilous world.

* * *

 

Why did Sousuke think that this was a good idea? Rin moaned in his mind. They had done a lot more dangerous and strenuous, but, at the moment, in Rin’s mind, this was the worst. They settled where did they did because it was livable; not many places were. So finding somewhere permanent could take weeks. Especially with Sousuke around. His sense of direction was...not good.

Rin had to admire Gou and Ai’s determination. Gou wasn’t the delicate baby sister she was when all this shit started. She was grown now, and adult at 16. She knew what she was doing, and could keep an eye on herself.

Not that Rin and Sousuke were ever leaving her side of course. They had made a vow and dammit they were gonna keep it.

Rin and Sousuke spent to earlier parts of their journey joking, keeping up with the theme of parents.

“Ai, do you want to hear some stories about your mother?”

Sousuke rolled his eyes, but Ai eagerly nodded his head.

“Once, when we were ten, this guy chased a stray cat, got lost, and ended up a town over. We couldn’t find him until some lady called the school, saying ‘I’ve found a young boy who goes to your school...he’s alone, crying, and holding a cat’.”

“Rin!” Sousuke exclaimed in mock offense. Rin laughed at him, a laugh which was shared by their two companions.

“You want to know something about your father?”

It was Rin’s turn to bluster, “When we were younger, I went over to his house to play and found him on the ground, crying. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me, ‘There was this flower...all wilted!’.”

“Sousuke!” Rin claimed, bumping his shoulder in honest embarrassment

* * *

 

The whole of their journey was not as pleasant. The terrain they were traversing was harsh and desolate. The ground an endless plain of grey soil and dying weeds, and beside them and in the distance all they could see were ruined buildings. It reminded Rin of a cloudy sky with little chance of rain but the the same lack of sunlight.

The bland surroundings and eerie silence was sparking a growing irritability in all their party. Sousuke's eyes darted from side to side, seeming to analyze every inch of the barren landscape, picking it apart for every danger possible. Rin felt himself worry at his lip, sharp teeth teasingly pressing against the thin skin, which was threatening to break. Gou and Ai lagged behind, trying to find solace in one another. Rin had never felt such a tension in his group of survivors, and that scared him more than the threats of death did.

* * *

 

Rin was awoken the next morning by a loud crash, the sounds of two guns firing...

 

* * *

 

 

         TO BE CONTINUED

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I've ever written a cliffhanger before, but I figured it would grabsome attention and motivate me. It may seem like a cop out, because it is.
> 
> (spoiler, it wont Sousuke's shoulder issue quite yet, but it will have something to do with it)

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo? *heart eyes* what do you think?


End file.
